Sparks appear to trail behind the volleyball on its rapid downward journey that glances off the hardwood or caroms off a defenseless rival player.
The explosive, impressive kill shot launched by senior outside hitter “Johnny Smash” Di Carlo has provided continuous, unforgettable highlights of the 2025 Indian River High School boys’ volleyball season. Di Carlo has made the kill shot a powerful art form during his first and only season studying and playing boys’ volleyball at the school in Dagsboro.
“The most exciting part of volleyball is hitting the ball though,” said Di Carlo, who has accumulated 176 kill shots through the first 11 of the Indians’ regular-season games. “Recognizing a defensive block and cover system, taking your approach, jumping as high as you can, and finally, catapulting your hand with the full weight of your body through the ball to an open spot is more than just a point in the books. It’s a momentum-shifter.”
Di Carlo’s impressive power game recalls previous IRHS boys’ power volleyball kill-shot artists including as Carson Barnes (IRHS Class of 2022) and Italian transfer student Luigi Dotoli (IRHS Class of 2024).
The multi-talented, right-handed-hitting Di Carlo is also an adept defensive player, splitting time at the net, in addition to manning the backline. His 123 digs attest to his ability to keep the ball in play, no matter how quick or difficult the rival’s serve may be.
“I believe that the key to the success I have had and that we … are having as a team can boil down to guys filling roles,” said the 6-foot-3 Di Carlo, whose Indians sport a 9-4 won-lost record heading into their final regular-season match at Dover. “Our coaches really know the game, and they put players where they excel the most in our system. I have been fortunate enough to fill the role of the main hitting and passing option.
“The most challenging part about volleyball is just how simple the fundamentals are,” added Di Carlo, who previously played soccer and baseball before discovering volleyball. “This sounds like a misnomer, but simple doesn’t mean easy — especially during up to five long sets of competitive play.”
Discovering the joy of playing competitive volleyball
Born in Salisbury, Md., Di Carlo spent his junior year of 2023-2024 completing an education program in Vilnius, Lithuania. The country is situated in the Baltic region of Europe, and is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south and Poland to the south.
That’s where he discovered the joy of playing competitive volleyball. After returning to Salisbury, he played beach volleyball daily in Ocean City, Md., with what he called “the highest-level guys around. At the beginning of 2025, I moved to Selbyville.”
After learning about the success and competitiveness of the Indians’ boys’ volleyball program and the school’s academic standards, Di Carlo enrolled at Indian River High School.
“This team has some amazing players and coaches, and has really helped me grow and develop as a player,” said Di Carlo. “I’ve mostly played beach volleyball, where you work with partners. As a result, playing regular volleyball was a new experience. In the regular game, we work together with five other guys on the court to create success.”
According to Di Carlo, the difference between good volleyball players and great volleyball players is not measured by how hard they smash their hand into the ball or how high they jump.
“Those skills help, obviously,” he began. “What separates the great players from the good ones are their stamina and reliability. Thankfully, my experience playing high-level men’s beach volleyball has allowed me to have the stamina and reliability to provide value to the team.”
Crediting his team’s coaching staff
Di Carlo credits a lot of his team’s success to the Indians’ coaching staff of bench boss Mike Markovic and assistants Jay Clark and Chad Zook.
“Our coaches really know the game, and they put players where they excel the most in our system,” he said.
“Johnny has been a great addition to our team,” said Markovic, who is in his second season of guiding the Indians. “He gives us two dominant outside hitters, along with Amor Townsend. Johnny is an excellent all-around player who leads the team in kills, passing and overall defense. His experience as a beach player really shows on the court with his creative shot selections. His athleticism is demonstrated by how quickly he has mastered volleyball, a sport which he has only played a little more than a year. He has definitely been a positive role model for our younger players by showing them competitive drive and the need to master new skills.”
Di Carlo said he is extremely thankful for the support of his family, including his mother, Ruta, a native of Lithuania, and his father, Joseph. He said he appreciates that his parents “allowed me to move to Lithuania and live alone for a year. They’ve enabled me to go and practice so often to get to where I am today,” said Di Carlo, who hopes to play regular or beach volleyball in college. “I have to thank my mom, dad, grandparents, and great-aunt and -uncle for their unwavering support.”
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